Rail-joint.



No. 673,8". Paton ted May 7, I901.

A. BARR.

I RAIL JOINT..

(Application filed Sept. 28, 1900.) (N o M o d a l.)

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(Application'flled Sept. 28, 1900.)

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WITNESSES lhvrrnn Srnrns PATENT OFFICE.

ADDISON BARR, OF MARTINS FERRY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO LEOSMITH AND ELWER MOORE, OF SAME PLACE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,811, dated May 7,1901.

Application filed September 28, 1900. l'i l N 31,43 '7. (No model.)

To ztZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADDISON BARR, of Martins Ferry, in the county ofBelmont and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Rail-Joint,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that type of rail-joints inwhich the rail-sections are connected by tie or fish plates havro ingmembers adapted to interlock with the rail-sections; and my saidinvention seeks to provide a rail-joint of the character stated of avery simple, economical, and stable construction in which the severalparts can be r 5 readily assembled and which will effectively serve tokeep the rail-sections joined without the use of bolt and nut lockdevices such as are commonly employed.

My invention in its complete makeup also includes a novel combinedwedge-and-lock member for holding the fish-plates from longitudinaldisplacement and also to cause them to bear closely up against the underface of the tread or head portions of the rail in such manner as toresist the downward strain on the rail and disseminate said strain overa. greater base-surface than ordinarily and to provide a firm bearingfor the rail and maintain a rigid joining of the rail ends, whereby toreduce the rail vibration and rattling to the minimum.

In its subordinate features my invention consists in certain details ofconstruction and peculiar combination of parts, all of which willhereinafter be fully explained, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved rail-jointconstruction. Fig. 2 isaplan View thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectiontaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4:4 of Fig. 2. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are respectively detail views of thewedgeplate, the fish or tie plate, and a portion of one of therail-sections. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the modified form of myinvention; and Fig. 9 is a transverse section thereof, taken on the line9 9 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like charactersindicate like parts in all the figures, 1 1 indicate the ends of the tworail-sections of the ordinary type, and each section has its web portion1 made solid1l. e., the same is not provided with the usualbolt-aperture. At a point near the end each section 1 has its foot orbase flange 1 formed with a vertically-disposed elongated slot 1, thepurpose of which will presently appear.

2 2 designate the tie or fish plates, having the usual cross-sectionalshape, as shown, and each plate 2 has a pair of pendent lugs 2, adaptedto interlock with the slots 1 in the adjacent ends of the rail-sections,said lugs being of a slightly less length than that of the slots toprovide for the usual expansion and contraction of the rail ends.

It will be noticed by reference to Fig. 4 the front edges 0 of the slots1 are slightly undercutor beveled outwardly and the outer faces a of thelugs 2 are likewise inclined, so that the said lugs will the more firmlyengage or interlock with the rail-flanges when the plates 2 are forcedup in the manner presently eX- plained and whereby said lugs 2 will beheld from transverse play in the slots 1 and rattling of the parts orloose play prevented.

3 3 designate a pair of wedge-plates, one for each fish-plate 2, thatcooperate with said fishplates and the rail. The plates 3 primarilyserve to hold the fish-plates in such contact with the rail-sections andin such manner as to positively hold them from playing loosely on therails and also for supporting the head 8 or tread part of the rails, sothat the stress or strain on the rail will be disseminated from the saidhead directly against the base or flanges of the rail instead ofentirely through the web to the base, as is commonly the case.

By referring now more particularly to Fig.

3 it will be noticed the wedge members 3 when drawn under the plates 2will cause their upper edges 2 to bear against the head parts 1 of therail at diverging angles (see dotted linesy y in Fig. 3) rather than inavertical plane and at the same time cause said plates to firmlyinterlock or bear against the rail-head and the base-flanges at thepoints a, b and in such Way that all danger of rat- Ioo tling orvibrating action is overcome. Each wedge-plate 3 has edge recesses 3 tolap over ing the fish-plates to engage the rail-sections in the mannershown the downward strain of load passing over the rails is the moreuniforn1ly distributed, and by reason of the tight clamping of thefish-plates against the rail said rails are reinforced and kept rigidlyjoined.

The construction of parts is very simple and the cost of joint notgreater than the ordinary nut-and-bolt joints, as the wedges can be madefor less cost than the ordinary bolt and nut lock devices, it beingunderstood that the rail-body is weakened less by making a slot in it atthe base, as in my case, than is the case when the web is apertured toreceive the lock-bolt.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated a modification of my invention, andin this form of my invention a keeper-plate 10 is provided having arhomboidal shape and a length somewhat greater than the width of therail-base and the wedge-plates 3, the said plate 10 when cooperativelyused with the wedge-plates 3 being passed transversely under therail-base and held at right angles thereto, as clearly shown in Fig. 8.The extremities of the plate 10 are cut or slitted in lines parallelwith their outer edges, the slit at one end being in a directionopposite to that at the other end, whereby lugs 10 can be bent up atsuch ends, which when bent up, as shown in Fig. 9, will act as a meansfor positively holding the wedge-plates 3 from becoming loosened orslipping outward, particularly so when the spikes become loose. Theobject in making the plate 10 of rhomboidal shape is to bring its endsto such an angle relatively to the wedge-plates 3 that when the saidends are bent over, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, they will lap over saidplates 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the rail-sections, each having vertical slots inthe base portion, said slots having one edge undercut, and thefish-plates having lugs to engage the notches, said lugs having theirouter,ends inclined, and the said fish-plates having their upper endsformed to engage the head of the rail-sections, and means for forcingthe said plates to press against the said heads at an obtuse anglethereof, for holding said plates to such position, substantially asshown and described.

2. The combination with the rails, and the fish-plates, having theirupper ends formed to press against the head portions of the rails, andthe wedge-plates 3, for engaging the railbase and the under edge of thefish-plates, said fish-plates and the wedge-plates having interlockingmeans for engaging each other, and means for holding the wedge-plates totheir clamped position, substantially as shown.

3. The combination with the rail-sections, each having apertures in thebase, and the fish-plates, said plates having their upper ends formed toengage the heads of the rails, and their lower ends provided withpendent lugs to fit the apertures in the rails, and the wedge-plates 3,for entering between the railbase and the bottom of the fish-plates,said wedge-plates having edge recesses to strad dle the fish-plate lugs,and means for holding the wedge-plates to their clamped position,substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination with the rail-sections, the fish-plates, and thewedge-plates arranged substantially as shown; of the plate 10, having arhomboidal shape, its outer ends being slitted to provide bent lugs, thelug at one end extending in a direction opposite to the other, said lugsadapted when pressed down to lap over the top edge of the wedge-plates,their vertical portions being arranged to engage the outer edges of thesaid wedge-plates, for the purposes described.

ADDISON BARR.

Witnesses:

JAMES E. WINTERS, RUssELL A. BARR.

